her nose wrinkles when she spies the first sign of annoyance on her little sister's face. they've always had a distant relationship; ten years her senior and at a very different stage in her life by the time rory finally grew into a personality of her own. 

but that doesn't mean her arms don't open to envelop her, that she doesn't squeeze her and aaron as hard as she can.

two more wine glasses are sat out on the counter next to the open bottle of red and sylvie ghosts away from them to pour. 

"of course," she says as she holds them both out. "glad you could both find some time. now tell me all about what you've been up to."

aaron faust Rory Faust

☉

the slither wings do sound enticing, but not so enticing that she'd want to risk facing them with her back bared. the woman seems, if not allied directly with the league, like she's here for personal gain over that of sylvie's own organization. 

"no, no," she says with a wave of her hand, "don't want to kick the proverbial nest, especially after that."

and oh, what a delightful way to get to know her. she brushes her hair back, pretends cassie wouldn't have thrown the bear into the sun if it actually got its arms around her, and grits her teeth nervously. 

"i. yeah, actually, that'd be great. i think i bit off a bit more than i can chew. the suicune...the thing that looked like suicune. gods, it was awful. i saw - " she shudders. 

kennedy quinn

☉

this is what she gets for losing some of her pokemon back in kanto. she'd mourned their passing very much the same - with an unafflicted crimson stare, ashes scattered and baby's breath tossed into the wind. now, though, she's missing her pidgeot. tam could have flown her out of here and back at this point. 

she's closer to the place they've dubbed area zero now, which is entirely where she doesn't want to be. 

cassie mewls to warn her that they're coming up on someone and per usual, she hangs back, watching and assessing. she's careful; it's why she's alive. 

the rotomphone hasn't noticed them yet, but it's only a matter of time, so she steps into view and brushes back a lock from her face. she licks chapped lips and realizes she's been walking for some time, and her water bottle's bone dry. 

"did i hear you say there's a slither wing around here?" she says with an easy smile. "sorry, hi, i just got out of a scrape with one of those suicune lookalikes and - safety in numbers, y'know?"

kennedy quinn

☉

blue blurs in front of her and her eyes tighten, but they do not close. she starts a count in her head, ears straining, and upon the sound of bones crunching, she relaxes. that's one less problem to deal with. 

she hauls herself out of her hiding spot. the walking wake feasts on its prey and her companion is nowhere to be seen. she doesn't linger. 

cassie claws her way out into the open and shakes out her fur, trotting briskly to match sylvie's pace as the rocket goes to put as much distance between herself and the creature as possible. 

deeper they go into the chasm.

DANE FAIRCHILD

☉

better him than her. he's been calm company these past few hours, but she'll be as indifferent to his death as the rest of them. they part ways and she examines the cavern's knobbly wall. with a grunt, and just a couple of scrapes on her palms, she manages to pull herself into a hiding spot, though still have view on dane's futile rescue attempt. 

the walking wake is a mass of muscle and fur. spittle has gathered at the corner of its bloodied maw and putrid foam mixed with viscera drips behind its gallop. 

cassie makes herself equally as scarce, lithe body tucking under an outcropping of crystal. they wait. the growls grow in volume and sylvie holds her breath, cold sweat breaking over her skin as she loses sight of it. she dare not move. 

she trusts that, somewhere in the dark, cassie's eyes are burning with future sight. if danger threatens her, she'll make a move.

DANE FAIRCHILD

☉

sylvie's used to being the tallest woman in the room. her work shoes have comfort insoles and give her an extra inch of lift to boot, but right now she has her combat boots on - so, an extra inch and a half at the very least. as the woman nears, she puts together just how tiny she is and can't help but think sheesh, she's really alone out here, huh?

"stampedes, huh? ugh, this place is batshit." nevertheless, they're not going to get anywhere standing around like they are. it's a long way up from the bottom. 

she pushes aside some fronds and cassie follows, looking over her shoulder when their companion asks after her. she preens appreciatively, stretching out her tail to wrap it adoringly around her. sylvie rolls her eyes. 

"cass? she's fine. she likes to milk it. i'm sure she wouldn't say no, though, if your shaymin there can ease her paws. they have healing properties, don't they?"

SERAPHIM

☉

sylvie sizes her up, the red of her eyes softening when she sees the shaymin in her arms. her demeanor is as pleasant as they come; she doesn't recognize her, but she doesn't recognize a lot of the grunts. you get used to the night crew; day crew's a whole other ball game. 

still, it's better to play it safe, and she makes a good point. the last person she'd seen go toe to toe with one of the paradoxes lurking around down here hadn't ended well for them.

"yeah," she says with a smile. "let's stick together. i got separated from the person i was down here with. were you with a group too?"

cassie shakes out her raised fur and sits so she can lick her paws. 

SERAPHIM

☉

cassie has a few scrapes and bruises, but the runty espeon carries on regardless. sylvie asks her only once if she wants to go back into her ball, but the oppressive nature of the bottom of the chasm makes her protective of her trainer. 

her purple eyes flash and she pauses beside a tera crystal. fronds curl at her paws and the fur on her hackles rises. sylvie stops. 

she and her partner had been separated after the incident with the walking wake and though she's not beholden to his company, she'd rather someone have her back down here. the tactical gear she'd signed out of hq is zipped up in her pack, cowl hidden under her jacket. 

the place is crawling with league and she'd rather blend in with the crowd than face confrontation. 

"who's there?" she calls as cassie squares off.

SERAPHIM

☉

there are dozens more like it around their feet. she shifts and they crunch beneath her boots. maven plods along past her, expert footfalls avoiding any glass shards that might damage her exposed toes. 

sylvie gives it a cursory glance and then shrugs before picking her way after her pokemon. they traverse the grounds in silence until they come upon a dilapidated building. rusted fencing surrounds it and she takes care to draw her bare limbs in close when she stretches over a section of the crumpled metal. 

"i think it's...a hospital," she says; a wry enthusiasm wriggles delightedly in her words. "coast looks clear." 

maven leads them to swinging doors. the interior hallway is dimly lit. papers - or what once remained of papers, most of them yellowed beyond comprehension or turned to muck - litter the ground. she tugs on gloves and skirts behind what looks like a receptionist's desk and tries the keyboard. 

completely dead. 

maven blinks her eyes open and trumpets softly, raising one hand towards the hallway marked ICU. 

DANE FAIRCHILD

☉

crimson is hidden by the shadow of her hood, but still she turns her head away from him to hide her disappointment. she's grateful for the cowl when the sandstorm whips up behind them. cassie mewls piteously and gives a shake of her head. 

psychic energy provides a barrier for her. 

what she doesn't tell him is at the first sign of trouble, she's out. she's not going to fork over her life for a crippled grunt. she doesn't spare the dying. 

she buries the dead. 

maybe, just maybe, they won't have it come to a head. crystal stalactites glitter down from above. a turn of cassie's head, the broad strokes of sylvie's intentions, and some of the stalactites crack at the base. 

and fall, crash landing some yards off. the walking wake raises its head, ears perked toward the noise.

DANE FAIRCHILD

☉

she's taken an interest in bodies. not many rocket intelligence report files are available to her, given her station, but the concept of megalopolans has been around for quite some time. the interest is clinical as much as it is carnal; she likes to know how people tick. 

or, rather, how their meat does. 

"oh," she says, remembering. "never been in one of these before?"

she can guess the answer by the look on his face. 

a smile is flashed, a confident pat on his chest, and then she breezes through, her stoic drowzee behind her. over her shoulder, as the rift ripples around her, she throws, "me neither."

DANE FAIRCHILD

☉